“When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them.” ~ Rick Warren

Happy Sunday!

As I was reading my lesson this morning in Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” the quote I stated with above spoke to me.  I am going to use it today to reflect on what there is about it that has captured my attention.
About ten years ago I went back to school to finish my degree in engineering.  I did many of the classes via distance learning on my own but there was one class that I knew I had to sit in a classroom for and that was Calculus III.  I had taken Calc 1 and 2 many years before, did well, but knew with the long separation in years of taking higher math that I would need to call on a teacher to aid me in catching up.  So I took this class as an older woman, wife, mother, and practicing engineer in a classroom with young people, mostly 20 year old men.
If you never took Calc 3 you won’t know that some of the calculations being taught are problem solutions that took me 8 to 10 pages of sheets to complete.  One day, sitting in class, I noticed the homework solution of the young man sitting next to me, it was all typed out.  I saw the time he took to type out the calculations and thought it was a stupid act to go through such effort.
I am thinking today that his perspective was just that of a student so that he may have felt that the expectations of his parents, teachers, and school culture were to perform to that highest level.  At the time I had a different perspective of a responsible adult including a supervisor of staff who thought the extra effort was wasteful and frivolous.  The expectations I felt as an adult were to perform my work efficiently and accurately without spending extra time, and giving just enough to still have time for all the other burdens of adulthood such as: spouse, children, home, parents, family, friends, community.
In 2012, when I realized my eternal self it changed my perspective.  There is no longer just the me of this lifetime to consider but also the eternal me.  From my journey of the last two years I know that the eternal me, my soul, exists as a drop in the ocean that is the Christ consciousness.  I now base my worth and identity on this knowing.
This higher perspective did free me from the expectations of others, at least at the level I had previous known and was concerned with.  Looking at life from the next level up takes away quickly many of the cultural expectations.  Nationalism, racism, sexism, are all meaningless when you see all of humanity as the same.  We are all the same eternally so why be concerned with the roles we have taken on while on Earth for this short period.  Religious doctrine becomes obvious in its purpose of serving man (form) and not God (the formless) so the guilt of life long expectations falls away.
Fortunately God gives us a great need for understanding when we enter into this new life, our higher perspective.  Just like a child, a new soul manifested on earth spends years exploring and experimenting to understand this world of form, we ‘born again’ beings must understand this new realm of Christ Consciousness to resided within it.  Instead of the ‘laws of the land’, ‘house rules’, or church doctrine we learn Universal Truth.
I saw Caroline Myss speak on Friday evening to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.  She stated a couple of times that this is a Universal Truth, “what is in one is in the whole”.
Universal Truths bring new expectations.  What I see in another that I may not like is also in me as we are joined in the Oneness of Christ Consciousness.  I need to understand this whole being that I am a part of therefore, when I see something in another that I don’t understand I must go within myself to recognize it and reflect on where it came from to get to understanding.
I live now with the expectation of understanding.  Fortunately God delivers as evidenced by these weekly blog writings that tell of how God brought to me the teachers I have needed to teach me my lessons.
Expectations are created within ourselves.  The tribal codes we learn as children become the expectations we create as adults that we believe are required by others.  When we move into the Christ Consciousness it doesn’t take the expectations of others for us to act as our highest selves, it is the realization that we are higher selves.  We want to express this Truth to others so that they can also realize THEIR highest selves.
Virtues are just there at this level.
Honesty. You don’t have to try to be honest, you are honest.  I found my voice, instead of stumbling over words to say what I want to say blending with what my mind thinks the other wants to hear, I speak honestly.  It’s just me in here now, whether I am right or whether I am wrong, I just am.
Love, compassion, empathy.  Another Universal Truth you learn is that you do indeed ‘reap what you sow’.  You quickly understand from your view from a higher perspective that what you give out to others is what you get back.  Negative behavior, emotions, energy are just going to be returned to you.  Loving is the only way to be.
Honor. The beauty of everything just becomes so apparent.  How this life is a gift and how everything that supports your being here this day is blessing.  It is just such an honor to be a part of such wonder! I bless the Earth and her Nature, I thank the Sun and the Universe that holds him for me.
Fortitude.  Having the peace of just knowing that everything will be ok.  That the Universe is about growth and evolution so in the whole, everything will work out for the greater good.
I am looking at my bulletin board in front of me where I have written down the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These have just aided me in writing about the virtues.  I know next where I am heading is service, in this writing and someday, in someway, in my life.  I asked where is ‘service’ in the list of gifts and realized “Aha! These are the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples so they could go out and serve!”
Thank you Lord for the lesson of this day.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ~ John 13:3-5